Codes and Conventions of a Music Video

Music videos follow far fewer tropes to one another than other media products, largely due to the differences between the songs and artists they promote. However, there are several clear distinctions that the majority will feature, largely defined by genre in terms of their conventionality:

• THE ARTIST The vast majority of music videos feature the artist in question in one form or another, whether it be performing said song or involved in a synergistic narrative.


• STYLIZATION Largely defined by genre, stylization supports music videos by drawing together the theme of the song with what's portrayed on screen. Rock music videos tend to be dimmer and less choreographed than pop videos for example, which generally feature the artist more prominently and are overall brighter in terms of aesthetic.


• NARRATIVE Regardless of if the narrative is less prominent and might be better defined as a theme or tone, many music videos, as does much music, portray a short, sharp plot, and an almost anecdotal message.

Music videos are most prominently created for pop artists, being by nature the most popular genre, and thus often with most backing from record labels due to the prediction of sales, the music video itself a form of advertisement for the actual product - the song, not the other way around. Numerous television channels are devoted entirely to the broadcasting of music videos, often in the form of chart shows reflecting recent sales via download or the purchase of compact-discs.

RESEARCH ANALYSIS

QUESTIONNAIRE 1
MUSIC VIDEO

Q What do you commonly expect to see within a music video?
A

1. attractive girls


2. attractive girls


3. fashion


4. a clear theme


5. the artist in question


6. some form of dance


7. musical performance


8. a narrative


9. fashion


10. a number of locations

Q What do you particularly dislike to see within a music video?

A

1. overly sexualized performers


2. people acting tough who clearly aren't


3. overly tanned performers


4. bad make-up


5. over-stylization


6. poor timing


7. a lack of originality


8. little or no relevance to the lyrics


9. people acting tough who clearly aren't


10. overly sexualized performers

Q What do you particularly like to see within a music video?
A

1. a strong narrative


2. a strong narrative


3. strong visuals/original style


4. fashion


5. strong visuals/original style


6. originality


7. humour


8. quick visuals


9. a good musical performance


10. originality

Q Do you commonly watch music video's online? (4+/week)
A

1. No


2. No


3. Yes


4. Yes


5. Yes


6. No


7. Yes


8. Yes


9. No


10. Yes

Q Do you commonly watch music videos on television? (4+/week)
A

1. Yes


2. Yes


3. Yes


4. No


5. Yes


6. No


7. No


8. No


9. No


10. Yes

Q Do you prefer a clear narrative or a strong performance within a music video?
A

1. Strong musical performance


2. Strong musical performance


3. Strong musical performance


4. Clear narrative


5. Clear narrative


6. Strong musical performance


7. Strong musical performance


8. Clear narrative


9. Clear narrative


10. Clear Narrative

Q In the past six months have you legally purchased an album?
A

1. Yes


2. Yes


3. No


4. No


5. No


6. No


7. No


8. No


9. Yes


10. Yes

Q If yes to the above, did you purchase a CD in store or via download?
A

1. Via download

2. Via download

9. CD in store

10. Via Download

Q Would you say that, overall, you prefer a single to feature a music video, or that it be left to the imagination?
A

1. Video


2. Video


3. No Video


4. Video


5. Video


6. Video


7. No Video


8. No Video


9. Video


10. No Video

Q Do you think it's important for a music video to be directly relevant to the lyrics of a song?
A

1. Quite important


2. Not important


3. Very important


4. Very important


5. Very important


6. Very important


7. Not important


8. Very important


9. Quite important


10. Very important

The results of this analysis give both corresponding and juxtaposed opinions of what an audience defines to be the trope traits of music videos. In response to question one, the majority of responses were entirely different, providing a subtle clue as to what an audience perceives to expect within a music video - variety. Also, the majority of responses referred to something directly aesthetic - suggesting that people have come to expect a certain level of visual originality. The responses to question two correspond with the aforementioned result - one response expressing succinct disdain of absent originality. Also in correlation with responses to the previous question, many of the objects of animosity within music videos were directly aesthetic, such as the overt sexualization of performers and poorly synced lyrics. Responses regarding the third inquiry included, most particularly, an originality in both video aesthetic as well as narrative, and the successful execution of both. Enforcing this evidence, responses towards a later question suggest an audience is evenly divided in terms of their preference between a clear narrative, and a strong visual performance. Also, a surprising number of respondents, although admittedly still a minority, would not necessarily expect a music video to be clearly, directly representative of the lyrics of a song.

Analysis of BLINK 182 - STAY TOGETHER FOR THE KIDS Official Music Video

The video opens with a clear message - white text, black backdrop, reading "50 percent of all American households are destroyed by divorce."
This emotive opening is emulated throughout the production. The band members stand in a derelict household; no panes of glass in the windows remain, wooden joists and structural beams are exposed, the paint flaked and decayed - the house nothing but the withered skeleton of its former self. Connotations are inevitably drawn - the derelict building represents the literal epitome of the phrase "broken home." The camera cuts between extreme close ups of the graffiti, and the wrecking ball swaying not ten feet from what remains of the walls. The presence and portrayal of the graffiti might well be a suggestive of youth, plausibly angered youth, a connotation reflected in the song title. We witness close ups of discarded, flat tin cans, the camera pivoting across the rib-like roof beams, rays of light illuminating the smog of dust and scattered debris. The miasma might well represent a confusion or lack of direction, while it's lingering existence, and that of the litter, denote neglect.
The camera proceeds to pan along a collection of adolescents, idle and each with a look of total indifference. We cut to a close up of a particular individual, enforcing the visage of an exhausted sort of sadness.
As the video progresses, a rhythm is established - each chorus, the aforementioned wrecking ball crashes against the adolescent's haunt as the camera begins to shake as we witness footage of the band performing and the teenager's ensuing mosh; effectively allowing the audience a glimpse of actually being present at the demolition.
The established formula of slow, bleak, details of the house itself, and the pandemonious chorus footage of the wrecking ball's effects and the resident's reactions continues throughout, the already crippled dwelling spiralling further towards nothing but rubble as the song continues. Eventually, the inhabitants themselves begin to tear down beams, strip plaster, hurl aimless trashed matter, to the degree of the band's eventual departure, at which point the vandals turn upon the instruments. This final act of desctruction might well be construed as highly telling - that a cycle has become established in the lives of the teenagers present; those whose parents seperate are likely to struggle to sustain healthy marriages in the future, suggested specifically by the teenagers, whose household was broken by a third party, then destroying the functional instruments of others - thus acting as the destructive third party themselves.

Analysis of MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE - TEENAGERS Official Music Video

As the title suggests, the track Teenagers by My Chemical Romance, both in lyrics and video, is centred around the adolescent demographic. A highly stylized group in all aspects, including the colouration of album colours coordinated with costumes in live performances and merchandise, the video for the single Teenagers differs little from the trend, with black and bold red featured front and foremost.

The entirety of the video is set within a high-school environment, a dark concert hall, retaining the familiar palette. On opening, red drapes hang as a backdrop to the band on the stage, dressed head to toe in black, and accompanied by a cheer-leading squad (also sporting scarlet), the unmissable separating feature from the portrayed squad and an orthodox team being that they each wear World War II-esque gas masks. From the off this suggests many connotations. Gas masks in purpose are to prevent suffocation, the word "suffocating" often used throughout media to represent feelings of repression, of being crowded or the sense that a decision or decisions that ought to be one's own to make are in another's hands. This theme of rebellion against a predestined existence are commonly expressed throughout teenage-orientated media, as they have been for decades since the existence of the anarchical punk movements, even dating back to the activities of the Edelweiss Pirates in the late 1930's. The most common connotation of the phrase "youth-culture" is individuality, or rather a unified sense of self opposed to one aspect of the adult world or the other, whether it be the opinion of a parent on an adolescent's fashion sense or their taste in music -animosity towards any form of dictation is the heart of the matter. This theory is strengthened as the video progresses, as the masked cheerleaders take up police batons, incorporated into their dance routine. The police force are yet another trope villain portrayed throughout the media in teen-targeted productions, the epitome of upholding order and retaining a formulaic structure, governing civilians through endless maxims as much as formal law. The cheerleader countenance itself is a high-school cliche throughout the media - representative of what's presumed to be an exclusive club for the popular and pretty, an interesting contrast to the alternative style of music.
The lyrics to the song essentially capture the heart of this iconography - "They're gonna clean up your looks, with all the lies in the book, to make a citizen out of you. Because they sleep with a gun, and keep an eye on you son, so they can watch all the things you do." "They" are in this case representative of parents, teachers and adults in general. The lyric "to make a citizen out of you" clearly denotes conformity, as "keep an eye on you son" denotes the big-brother system of control and regulation, all-too-commonly portrayed as particularly offensive to adolescents.
As the video progresses, a congregation of black-clad teenagers, presumed to be pupils, swarm the auditorium. Initially apprehensive, the situation escalates to a riotous mosh, followed by the eventual raiding of the stage itself in which the band are humorously trampled. This brawl is initiated as the aforementioned red-drapes drop, revealing images of the nuclear mushroom cloud, synonymous in iconography to that of the gas masks. The phrase "to go nuclear" is often translated to define absolute drastic action, or to describe a course of action resulting from being pushed to the metaphorical edge and having to react excessively in order to reclaim hypothetical lost land.

In summary, both the lyrics and video represent in their entirety the same key theme - the theme concisely put forth at the off by the song-title: the emergence of the relatively recent term "teenagers" where once there was no such noun, and the connotations it holds, whether fabricated by media production, grounded in reality, or most commonly a combination of the two.

Analysis of EMINEM FT RIHANNA - LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE Official Music Video

This video, like many others, is comprised of footage used to compose a parallel narrative, as well as clips of performances by both artists in-keeping with the theme of said narrative. As far as the performances go, both artists appear separately, shown in time with their respective verses of the song.
Initially, Rihanna, singing chorus, is portrayed in close up miming the song lyrics, a backdrop of fire behind her. The theme of flames is a key element throughout the production.
However, Eminem is featured at first in a perfectly ordinary corn-field, clear blue skies behind him - a stark contrast to the fire, suggesting a calm equilibrium opposed to the many connotations of fire - namely danger, pain, energy or passion, and in essence, destruction.
The narrative footage is comprised of two main protagonists - a female character, portrayed by Megan Fox, opposite her presumed boyfriend, portrayed by Dominic Monaghan. By the forty-second mark, it appears their relationship has become turbulent, and a somewhat violent argument breaks out, juxtaposed by fast cuts to Eminem rapping the lyrics. Their argument proceeds to slow, only to once again escalate - a theme represented previously by the motif of fire - unpredictability. Also, the well known phrase of "playing with fire" - portrayed bluntly by Megan Fox's character literally doing so within the video.
This is strongly suggestive of the state of their relationship - that on the one hand, it's seen as exciting, and on the other, merely dangerous. This connotation is strengthened as the chorus returns, and the couple reconcile despite their heated infighting.
This theme, of a love/hate, unstable relationship is underlined throughout by a variety of scenes - Monaghan's character lonely at a bar while Fox's sits alone, appearing dejected at their home - her crying, him putting his fist through a wall, spliced between footage of them both enjoying themselves. The lyrics of the song consistently reflect this message - the chorus, sung by Rihanna, featuring the lyric "I love the way you lie." "Love" offers obvious connotations of enjoyment - a deep emotional bond, while contrasted starkly to the word "lie," offering nothing but negative connotations such as betrayal of trust.
As the video draws to a close, the actual house in which the narrative is largely staged is aflame - a climactic conclusion, seemingly unavoidable due to the desultory nature of their relationship. As the flames consume their home, the denotations lend themselves to a clear conclusion - the destructive quality of the relationship will, in the end, become all-consuming, a negative throughout many aspects of their individual lives, yet, they will prolong it, because neither protagonist can exist, in contentment, alone.

Analysis of JOHNNY CASH - HURT Official Music Video

A swansong of sorts, Johnny Cash's 2003 single "Hurt" features a medley of archived and contemporary footage to represent, in essence, a human life. Arguably, the modern footage is tinted sepia in order to add a retrovert touch and better meld together with older excerpts featured elsewhere throughout the video. Johnny cash himself is featured, aged significantly from as his original audience remember him, alone, in a darkened home, bustling with antiquities - connotations of a life exhibited are clear.
A picture of his mother hangs on the wall behind him, perfectly in-keeping with the blunt truth of the lyrics: "Everyone I know goes away - In the end," is but one of many examples to suggest nostalgia as a burgeoning theme featured. Many other examples are carefully strewn throughout of such reminiscence. Footage of Cash's wife June Carter, both in her younger days and featured in photography in her latter years, is presented in a montage, adding greatly to a sense of wishful reminiscence as opposed to what might be construed as merely pangs of remorse. Cash continues to break the fourth wall almost continually when present in the video, adding greatly towards an emotive and personal performance.
As Cash sits alone at a banquet table, still amongst shadows, the video once again aligns itself with the lyrics to present a simple honesty - that "...you could have it all" - that possessions, regardless of physical value, are of little worth when one's confined to isolation. In a similar fashion, the value of Cash's coveted Golden Record reward, in Cash's own eyes, is clear - lying shattered in his "closed to the public" memorial museum - another paramount testament to his opinions on the importance of physical belongings and renown. This belief is solidified in the now iconic lyric, "My empire of dirt."

Analysis of TYSON: THE MOVIE

Tyson: the Movie opens as infinite media productions do - the credits roll as due. A simple font choice is livened by a spectrum of colours - unarguably suggestive of the subject matter, namely, Tyson himself's colourful life. This introduction is furthered by the use of several clips of footage from Tyson's fights, extracted from archived footage, sliding on and fading out of view in and amongst the credits themselves. This dynamic representation of extracts might well be suggestive yet again of a somewhat diverse and unorthodox past, in essence non-linear - Tyson begins the interview process discussing his school-days, many years before the events displayed throughout the opening credits. Black backdrop of the footage is reminiscent of many feature films, as opposed to documentaries, adding to a sense of drama and lacing the format with a touch of the silver-screen, as does the fade effect introducing and ending the appearance of each credited name. Similarly, the fight footage presented begins with an establishing shot, as do many movies. Adversely, a repeat or replay effect is present several times in the opening alone, adding to the sense of traditional sports coverage juxtaposed to the drama of cinema. The title itself, merely Tyson's own surname, is emblazoned upon the black backdrop in a similar font to prominent sportswear manufacturers Everlast and Lonsdale, shaded with flames through graphic imagery, once again elevating the sense of drama and individuality previously denoted.

Analysis of THE MEN WHO JUMP OFF BUILDINGS

First broadcast on Channel 4 on Wednesday 28 July 2010, The Men Who Jump Off Buildings documents the lives and exploits of several base-jumping "adrenaline junkies". The simple fact that the documentary was broadcast by the 4 Network suggest several factors. For one, the documentary will most likely be presented in a manner to better correlate with Channel 4's general demographic of young adults.

The documentary opens with an establishing shot of the London skyline and features contrasted white lettering stating the location and time: 5:00am. Already this creates a sense of intrigue, 5:00am being an unusual time to both be filming and for any activity prospectively to be filmed to be taking place. We cut to a medium shot tracking horizontally a man walking along a street, attired in some sort of sports gear, yet again suggesting several connotations early on - the sports gear is relatively generic in terms of what activities could be done whilst wearing it. Low, slow non-diegetic music begins to play alongside his journey as the camera cuts to observe him entering a security code to gain access to a building. Already there have been several suggestions of what's to come - something unusual and illicit.
The camera proceeds to follow the man into an elevator, at which point we gain a medium shot, betraying his expression - his frown suggests anxiety, and a close-up reveals him to be wearing an altitude meter in place of a watch.

A hand-held camera proceeds to follow the man onto the roof, the unsteady music continuing, until pausing as the first man meets a second - for what appears to be the first time - and is led inside to reveal that the house in which he's entered is atop a building, the skyline spanning beyond the balcony. This in itself appears fairly extraordinary; initially, that a stranger would intentionally visit this man in his high-rise home, and that the sun's hardly risen - an unusual hour within which to make a first impression. The camera pans across the view below, before the original character followed hands over several £20 notes to the stranger who's home he stands in. The intrigue is built, the prospective audience's curiosity built, this brief exchange shown deliberately in order to cement viewer's fascination regardless of their prior knowledge to the documentary's context.

Analysis of MY DAD THE SERIAL KILLER

First broadcast Friday 30th January 2009, MY DAD THE SERIAL KILLER documents the aftermath of a traumatic revelation on the family involved - the family of Levi Bellfield, who in 2008 was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders of two women and the attempted murder of a third.

Unusually for such dark subject matter, the opening of the documentary is portrayed alongside largely upbeat music, a sharp and purposeful contrast to the information awaiting viewers. The idea of such bright footage juxtaposed with an uplifting soundtrack would suggest that this documentary is something other than a documentary portraying a serial killers crimes, as the title originally suggested - this documentary is about the people who survived the killer, and their attempts to live normal and fulfilling lives after the fact.

A voice-over begins, that of the central narrator and eldest daughter of the serial killer in question. She begins by introducing herself and members of her family as footage of each is portrayed taking part in every day teenage social activities. The theme of contrast continues, and an emotional response is built by these close-ups alongside information fed to the audience via the voice-over, introducing personal details and essentially building characters with which the audience can relate.

This fairly idyllic start inevitably heads towards the darker subject of the matter at hand within a minute - the voice-over states having deliberately not mentioned her father, an image of whom is then portrayed - recognizable to the majority of the prospective audience from newspapers and the national news at the time of the event. The tone for the majority of the documentary is then set, and footage cuts in of London at night, continuing to show several more clips of similar footage as archived narration of actual news coverage of the story is played, loose reenactments of the crimes themselves and police-evidence footage shown shortly afterwards to hammer home the sharp descent in tone.

Analysis of BRITAIN'S FATTEST MAN

This documentary recounts the life of 49 year old Paul Mason, officially Britain's fattest man at an estimated weight of between 60 and 70 stone - his efforts to loose weight, the complications involved in such morbid obesity, and the dramatic tole his overeating has taken on both his own life and the lives of those who care for him.

In the opening sequence, a narrator begins relaying facts relating to the startlingly high obesity statistics of the British public, alongside which images of overweight people going about daily life are shown. This fairly day-to-day footage is then interjected with the shocking image of the man in question - Paul Mason, splayed upon a bed. This highly disturbing image is a shocking contrast, stark against the fairly matter-of-fact presentation of the narration and previous clips. Continuing along a fast pace, this image almost immediately cuts to an interview with the man himself after a remark from the narration regarding his ill health, which is then justified by his manner - not that of a healthy adult. He comments that his addiction to food is something that he's entirely powerless to overcome - alone. This is most likely shown in order to give a more personalized view of the dangers of obesity, a connotation enforced later along in the documentary during interviews with family and friends. We then cut to a short clip of him eating. This image, coupled with the interview, suggests nothing other than the blatant issue raised by the documentary itself - that obesity only makes him miserable, and to let him be a warning to the audience.